


I'll stop the world and melt with you

by bisexualsolidsnake



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Banter, Domestic Fluff, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Introspection, Light Angst, M/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Mutual Pining, Post-MGS1, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, flustered dorks being gay for each other but not knowing what to do about it, yet another alaskan cabin fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-25 10:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30087618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualsolidsnake/pseuds/bisexualsolidsnake
Summary: A nerd pining over his best friend (2005 colourised)Post-MGS1, early Philanthropy-era. Basically just more Otasune pining fic because this fandom can never have enough.
Relationships: Otacon/Solid Snake
Comments: 12
Kudos: 16





	1. You've got me feeling emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well lads, I finally did it. Preteen me would be quaking if she knew I'd be writing fanfic of her OTP over a decade on.
> 
> Labelling as multi-chapter because I will probably end up adding to this, after all I'm a sucker for Philanthropy-era pining/friends-to-lovers between these two dorks. No plans as of yet though because I've never heard of planning who is she
> 
> Also 10/10 for originality naming my fic after song lyrics. (seriously though it's a good song go listen to it)

The glow of a computer screen and a trickling of moonlight were the only light source as a lanky, scruffy-haired geek typed away furiously at his keyboard. A scramble of code, nonsensical to anybody unversed in C++, filled the screen in front of him as he was sucked further and further into a coding spree. Spindly fingers moved at almost-supersonic speed, the tapping of keys against their plastic backing punctuating the low hum of machinery. This was a typical night for Hal, lost in his code as he worked on yet another hacking program. Once he’d finished automating the whole process of hacking into government servers, he could just let it do its thing in the background while he programmed something else. It was quite the thrill for him to be able to do something as complex as a virtual black-op with just the push of a button, all this prior programming notwithstanding of course. This was his way of sticking it to the politicians who kept pushing for nuclear proliferation without having to get his hands bloody.

He wasn’t brave like Snake was.

His hands stopped typing for a moment, ring ringer tapping softly against the enter key. His partner in crime was in the next room, no doubt fast asleep. It was just past 3 after all. Only the truly insane would be willingly awake at this hour, Hal thought as he snorted to himself. Oddly though, night time brought an odd sense of comfort to him. Perhaps it was all those sleepless nights in his childhood, finding himself too highly wired for a multitude of reasons to drift off so he’d play video games or mess about with code instead. The glow of a screen was his only comfort during those long insomniac nights, something that never lost its shine even after the absolute _clusterfuck_ of events that made him leave the place he once called home. He supposed that after doing it for so long he’d just ended up nocturnal; maybe if he had a codename like Snake did he’d be called Otaku Owl or something. He snorted softly to himself once more, smiling a little at the codename of his partner entering his internal monologue again.

His mind was rambling on things other than code now, losing his grip on the task at hand. Snake kept popping into his mind at all hours of the day, managing to at least momentarily distract him from what he was doing a solid 95% of the time. They’d met almost ten months ago now, at the frigid laboratory he was working in at the time. As far as he knew back then, it was a “former nuclear disposal facility” off the coast of Alaska. Another cynical snort to himself as he remembered how much he’d been suckered in by Armstech. Snake had saved Hal’s ass that day, after literally shaking some sense into him that is. He balked a little reminding himself of the fact that he’d let his former employers dupe him into building REX. He never imagined that the admittedly-awesome mecha he’d engineered could be used to launch nukes. It was awfully naïve of him considering how glaringly obvious it was in hindsight that something was fishy about the whole thing, but at the time he’d just been blinded by his childhood dream coming to life.

Snake had every right to be mad at him during that first meeting as nobody could be _that_ oblivious, but oddly the soldier had warmed to Hal rather quickly. A few hours after Snake had left the island with Meryl, Hal had been surprised when his Codec beeped into life. It was Snake, asking if Hal was still there and offering to come back and get him. Hal was confused–after all he thought the whole place was going to be bombed into oblivion–but Snake assured him that no bombs would be landing. Flashes of memories danced across his mind’s eye now. The rumble of the snowmobile motor, the biting Arctic cold contrasted with the warmth of Snake’s back, the exhaustion after 72 hours without sleep finally hitting him. He’d woken up just outside Anchorage, with Snake giving him directions to the airport. A tentative but electrifying hug, followed by a warm smile, then he was gone before he could be spotted by anyone untoward.

Hal didn’t realise at the time why that hug or especially that smile lit up every synapse in his brain, or why it filled his veins with gentle fire.

He was fairly sure knew now though, not that he’d even entertain the thought of his internal monologue voicing out that word. He was scared to face it to be quite honest. After all, Snake was his partner, his colleague, and a co-founder of their new anti-Metal Gear organisation. He couldn’t risk anything like his personal feelings towards the other man affect their work. Even if they were getting harder to ignore. As was the case right now, with his heart thumping and the cursor on his screen flashing as a line of code sat there half-typed. He sighed, resting his jaw in his hands as he glared at the blinking line as he willed his brain to kick back into gear so he could finish this part of code before sunrise.

Instead, his brain decided to torment him even more.

It reminded him of all the Codec calls and text messages they’d sent to each other in the months after Shadow Moses. Somehow, these two people who seemed so dissimilar from the surface had formed a strong friendship within a matter of weeks, a bond that defied distance. It had only been ten months since they first met, yet they already had so many inside jokes and shared interests that they’d text each other about until one of them fell asleep. Often Snake would just send pictures of the huskies or some really corny joke, almost as if he knew when Hal was feeling stressed or worn out. He couldn’t help but smile every time, a warmth spreading from his chest throughout his body and dissolving whatever dread or panic was eating away at him.

It reminded him of the time his Codec had rang that late night back in early July. Slurred words on the other side, thinly veiled contempt as he ranted about how much of a fuck-up he was. Meryl had left him quite soon after they had gotten together in the first place, unable to handle the reality of the man behind the legend, so Snake had gone straight back to staring down the barrel of a whisky bottle. Hal suspected as much when occasionally he’d receive texts with some slightly wonky spelling, but he’d never actually heard the other man sound that lost in his drunken state. Hal’s heartbeat spiked as he relived that emotion he’d felt as he heard the words “worthless” and “pathetic” come out of the mouth of a man braver and stronger than he’d ever be. He shouldn’t hate himself so much. Hypocritical as it were, in that moment Hal felt like smacking Snake upside the head for even _thinking_ such nonsense about himself. He wondered now if Snake even remembered making that call, after all he wasn’t the kind of man to bare his soul like that.

It reminded him of how he, in his sleep-deprived wisdom, had told Snake that he was coming out to him and booked himself on the first flight to Alaska. From there he’d tracked the signal from Snake’s Codec and somehow made his way to the cabin in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t dare tell Snake that he’d ended up trekking the last five miles in the snow with little more protection from the cold than some winter clothes he’d picked up after he’d landed in Anchorage. He didn’t want him to know how much dread had filled his body at the thought of Snake out there in the Alaskan wilderness all alone, probably ending up drinking himself to death. He couldn’t stand the thought of his now-closest friend suffering by himself, sinking deeper into the pits of despair.

It reminded him of the cabin door opening to a scruffy, unshaven Snake–clearly hungover–flipping his shit at the sight of Hal standing there. Shocked anger had given way quickly into disbelief as to how his partner had managed to make it from the east coast to his Alaskan cabin in the space of 24 hours, and then finally the ghost of a smile, the best he could manage in his current state. Not that he wasn’t mad at Hal for making such a risky decision; it had taken almost a week for Snake to stop sniping about it, and he didn’t even know just how far Hal had trekked on foot. For some reason he was really hung up on the idea of Hal getting lost or hurt out there. However, at some point on the second day Snake had started to perk up a bit. The first time he saw Snake smile again in earnest–on the fifth day–had Hal’s heart just about ready to explode.

Neither man knew quite how long Hal would be staying, but somehow he was still here five months later. Five months in a one-person cabin in the middle of the wilderness with his friend-slash-colleague, it was crazy but somehow it had worked. It helped that their sleep schedules rarely synced up, so there was no arguing over who would be sleeping in the warm single bed with its thick blankets and who was on the cold, rickety couch. He had noticed Snake staying up later sometimes though, almost as if he was trying to spend more time with Hal. He had no idea why, but he wouldn’t lie and say he didn’t appreciate the company. In fact, he was more shocked that Snake hadn’t kicked him out and sent him back to the mainland yet.

A floorboard creaking broke Hal away from his thoughts, directing him back to the lines of code on his computer screen. He wondered if the wind had picked up outside again, until he heard Snake’s voice behind him, raspy with sleep.

“God, you’re still up.”

Hal snorted, this time not entirely towards himself, “You’re not really in a position to speak right now, you know.”

He spun around on his computer chair, now facing towards the source of the voice. He could faintly see the angles of Snake’s face in the dissipating glow of the computer screen, muted blue accentuating his defined features until they looked almost ethereal. He tried to ignore how his heart fluttered at the sight before him. The tiniest of smirks flashed across Snake’s face, the previous hard-set expression softening for a moment.

“Had a bad dream,” he stated matter-of-factly, “Nothing too bad, before you start getting all worried.”

Hal admonished himself slightly for being so predictable, a pang of concern flashing across his chest. He hated that he knew first-hand just how terrible trauma nightmares could be. It only made him worry about the man in front of him even more. His own trauma seemed so trivial compared to the trauma of a man who had killed so many, had fought against and defeated several giant nuclear robots single-handedly, had killed his own father and watched his twin brother die in front of him-

“See, you’re overthinking again,” Snake commented, “I’m _fine_ , Hal.”

_Damn it_ , Hal thought to himself. He was in far too deep. Snake must be able to tell by now unless he was completely oblivious, and there was no way he could be with his line of work. Hal pushed himself to respond in a normal person manner before he really gave the game away.

“I-I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he managed.

A sigh, “I’m alright Hal. Really. I’m more concerned about you right now, actually.”

“Huh?”

“When did you last take a break from all that?” Snake asked, gesturing at the computer.

Hal paused, wondering _when_ exactly he began working on this code. He found that he didn’t know off the top of his head.

“That tells me all I need to know,” a soft chuckle, “Get some sleep. The bed’s free, should still be warm.”

Hal told himself sternly to _not_ get so excited at that prospect.

“B-But you haven’t finished sleeping-“

“Hal,” Snake’s eyes locked firmly onto Hal’s, his voice tinged with sternness, “You’re gonna get burnt out working this hard. Anyway, I’m awake now.”

Hal found himself having to make a joke to diffuse the tension inside his own mind.

“Geez, all this nagging. Didn’t know I’d find a surrogate dad up here in Alaska.”

A louder, whole-hearted chuckle in response, icy eyes crinkling as the sound rumbled deep through the cold air of the cabin, never losing contact with Hal’s. If Hal was standing, he knew he’d be going weak at the knees at this point. He thanked whatever gods were listening that he was sitting down. Snake’s laughter was soon followed by a paradoxically soft-spoken reply.

“Well, someone has to look out for you. It’s good to have people care about you, y’know.”

A soft smile, so faint it was barely there, and Hal knew he was done for. Snake’s smile was the most precious sight he’d ever seen whenever it appeared, even more precious than his huskies or even the herds of caribou they’d watched on their trips to the nearest town. It didn’t need to be big or wide, just a small crinkling at the corners of his mouth were enough to send his mind into orbit. That word, the word Hal didn’t want to pay attention to, hopped around in the periphery of his headspace now as if taunting him. The universe was handing him a giant L–literally–and he was inches away from taking it. It was that goddamn smile. The smile he first saw at Shadow Moses, their first meeting. He’d smiled then, soft and reassuring as he was about to leave the engineer’s office. He craved that smile like a cup of strong coffee at 2 am.

At some point Snake must have realised that Hal was staring, as curious eyes gazed into the engineer’s entranced ones. For a moment they maintained eye contact, Hal’s face burning up before he cleared his throat. Eyes now averted, he tried to stop the shiver that ran through his core and the gentle tingling of his lips. It wasn’t like they had never made eye contact before, so why did that feel so intense? This… _crush_ was getting really out of hand. He had to excuse himself before he did something crazy.

“Y-you’re right Dave,” he stuttered, hurriedly turning off his computer and heading to the bedroom, “I think I’ll go to bed now. Thanks.”

Another chuckle in response, “Hmm, if you say so.”

If Hal wasn’t trying to ignore making eye contact the man making him so flustered as he headed off to bed, he would’ve noticed the blush on his own cheeks mirrored upon Snake’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope I did this pairing justice, I've never written for this fandom before despite being an MGS fan since around the time 4 came out...
> 
> Bless these two honestly, I can't stress that enough.


	2. He’s watching the detectives (oh he’s so cute)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the last chapter, with perspective mostly shifted to Snake. Late night channel surfing, complete with feels and flirty banter.
> 
> Warning for in-character self loathing internal monologues. Snake is a moody one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some lovely comments for the first chapter, I just want to make it clear that I really appreciate it! It's motivated me to update so soon after, even if I have uni work to be writing instead. Oops.
> 
> Another song lyric title too! It's as if I make and listen to playlists for fanfic inspo or something...

3:21 AM. A lot earlier than when he would’ve liked to have woken up, but nightmares have a wonderful ability of jolting someone wide awake. He didn’t even need to walk into the main room of the cabin to know that Hal would still be typing away at code, but Snake found himself going to check anyway. The only light was the computer screen, Hal gazing absentmindedly at the lines of code. Considering how different their lives had been up until a few months ago, it seemed they both enjoyed a good thinking session. Birds of a feather flock together and all that. Snake felt a corner of his mouth twitch upwards at the sight before he could really stop it.

Despite the gentle tread of the stealth expert’s feet against the cabin’s floorboards, even he couldn’t stop the token squeaky board from making a sound as he headed for the kitchen. This, naturally, alerted Hal to his presence. It wasn’t like Snake could get down on all fours and pretend to be one of the huskies. Somehow, he’d managed to act normal until those grey eyes locked onto his. He couldn’t tear himself away from them, barely noticeable in the dark but blinding at the same time. Thankfully it was too dark for the other man to notice the reddening of his cheeks. Hopefully. An odd sense of relief flooded over Snake as Hal excused himself, until a moment later when it hit him like a truck that the hacker was acting _flustered_.

Why was Hal so flustered? Why was _he_ so flustered?!

Snake decided rather quickly that he didn’t want to think right now, lest he start feeling too hopeful about what that exchange had meant. He hastily poured himself a generous glass of water from the tap, bracing himself against a countertop knocking it back as if it were whisky. He’d reigned in the drinking significantly since Hal had shown up, but sometimes he had an almost-painful urge to block out the turbulence the younger man sometimes generated within him. Not that he could; the last thing he needed was a worried Hal fussing around him on top of a killer hangover. Still, he poured another glass of water, sipping it more gently this time. The iciness of the Alaskan winter’s water stung his throat as it travelled down to his stomach, almost feeling like the burn of a much stronger drink.

Not that he’d want to drink whisky right now anyway, not after Meryl. It reminded him too much of her. Yet another failed relationship, he thought as he let out a cynical, barking laugh under his breath. He’d ended every single failed relationship–and hell, pretty much every single clusterfuck of a mission–finding solace with his old friend Jack Daniels, so much so that even seeing it on the shelf in the supermarket made his fists clench unconsciously. It was so bad that he’d had to switch to cheap beer that was the equivalent to some wheat grains stewed in pond water if he was drinking casually, lest he fall into a maudlin state of self-loathing. He didn’t exactly make good company when he was like that.

It wasn’t even as if he really loved Meryl, not like _this_ at least. She was a nice girl, sure, and she’d made his heart flutter once or twice at Shadow Moses, but after a couple of months the novelty had worn off. He still cared about her deeply, and he’d be lying if he said she wasn’t hot as hell, but after living together he’d realised that they just were not compatible as lovers. Feelings weren’t something Snake liked to indulge in, especially when other people push him to share them with the class. Besides, both of them had noticed how Snake was far too distracted by something outside of the relationship. Someone who Snake found even more attractive and, dare he risk even thinking it, compatible. So when the inevitable had happened, it wasn’t so much another failure in romance that had bothered him, but what she’d said to him. The words she’d said before she went to pack up her things echoed in his mind, bitterly stinging in the air more than the frigid breeze of an Alaskan morning.

_“I know I’m not the one you’re in love with, Snake. I’m not stupid.”_

_Damn._ He knew as the words came out of her mouth exactly what she meant, _who_ she meant. The realisation had hit him in the chest harder than Liquid had done on top of REX in that moment, shame mixed with adrenaline as the borderline obsessive late-night texting sprees and constantly thinking about his new-found best friend suddenly made sense. He supposed he knew even more right now, his heart still thumping hard against his sternum after his recent encounter. He’d gone and fallen for his right hand man, a disaster waiting to happen if he’d ever seen one. That feeling–love–it haunted him every time he caught a stolen glance at a face intensely staring at a computer screen, or laughing as he played with the huskies, or smiled wholeheartedly as he ate whatever meal Snake had cooked for them both. If he wasn’t so good at hiding his deepest feelings, his true self, he knew he would be completely and utterly screwed by now, left all alone in the wilderness once more. Now that he’d tasted even the most basic sense of companionship again, he didn’t want to let it go. Especially not when it was Hal.

Figuring that all he had on him right now to calm his fraying nerves were cigarettes, Snake elected to go out for a smoke instead and head out to the porch to light up. He slid on some boots and a coat before heading out, bracing himself slightly as he opened the front door. The freezing air shocked his system, temporarily shutting out all thoughts of the man in his bed. Until he remembered that he was, indeed, in his bed.

He very quickly lit his cigarette, hands just barely shaking, and took a huge drag to distract from the weird twisting feeling in his stomach at a rather sudden and _detailed_ mental image he’d rather not get carried away by.

“Snake?”

Speak of the devil. Three cigarettes in and Hal had gotten out of said bed to come and check on him. Snake didn’t dare turn around, he just sucked so hard on his cigarette he felt his lungs burn.

“I can’t sleep,” Hal said, breath visible between them, “I’m gonna watch some TV for a while, you can go back to bed if you want.”

Snake shook his head, “I’m awake now. Beer?“

Hal nodded, knowing the routine well. Sleepless nights often led to them channel surfing, usually with potato chips and cheap cola but sometimes with cheap beer instead, if they’d decided to buy some on their grocery trip. While Snake had spent many a sleepless night alone flicking through bad infomercials and static-y old sitcom reruns, until Hal had showed up it was an utterly soul-destroying activity. Hal added something special to it though. Maybe it were the little snarky comments they’d both make about the latest useless gadget being advertised or the bad acting and physically painful puns from some obscure 70s comedy from the UK or somewhere. They’d often end up howling with laughter at how ridiculous these shows were, confusing the dogs and being very thankful they had no neighbours to complain about the noise.

He loved seeing Hal laugh. If he conveyed anything remotely sappy towards the man, he’d at least want it to be that.

“I borrowed one of your sweaters again by the way, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t,” Snake replied reflexively, “You make them look so much better than I do.”

_Shit._

The nervous chuckle he heard from the other man made his stomach feel like jelly, but somehow he managed to compose himself into his usual calm demeanour. He had to lean back to brace himself on the railing, wincing slightly as his bare hands tightened around snow-covered wood, but he managed. God, he was driving him crazy tonight. So much so that he found himself wondering what it would feel like to just grab the hacker and kiss him out here in the snow. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards minutely at the thought, but he knew it was not the kind of thought a professional should have about his colleague. He had to remind himself that they were in the middle of establishing an important organisation together; his personal feelings for the co-founder mustn’t get in the way of that. He was a _professional_.

“Are you coming in, or are you gonna freeze out here instead?”

Snake grumbled, pushing himself off from the railing and following Hal inside. The cabin’s living room was small, a single window facing out into the white-blanketed wilderness. A small trickle of moonlight bounced in through the glass, casting pale shadows onto the men’s faces as they walked in. The glow of the computer screen in the corner was now gone, the machine long gone into hibernation mode, replaced by a harshly bright light from the kitchen’s open doorway. Snake squinted for a moment adjusting to the sudden change in brightness.

“I bought two each just in case we stay up that long,” Hal announced as he left the kitchen, beer bottles and bottle opener in his hands, “They shouldn’t get very warm sitting out of the fridge.”

Snake threw himself down onto the sofa, Hal joining him more gracefully once he’d set the drinks down on the rustic coffee table Snake had built out of an old log he’d found. With the kitchen light now turned off, the only light in the room was from the moon and the TV screen. They quickly huddled together there under the pile of blankets Hal had been wrapped in. It soon became deliciously warm as they sat there, sipping their beers and flicking through channels. The closeness was almost suffocating the longer it lingered, but at least years of warfare had helped him to develop a somewhat-impregnable poker face. He just had to focus on the task at hand, ignore the close proximity, _ignore the warmth_ -

“I forgot the chips,” Hal groaned, “Sorry.”

Snake responded before he could stop himself.

“Forget about the chips, you’ll let the heat out.”

“Yeah… remind me again why we’re living in Alaska?”

“The cold builds character, I’ll have you know.”

“Hmm, sure it does. Explains why you’re such an oddball.”

Snake let out a rumbling laugh, gently jabbing his partner in the side. He’d always find little excuses to touch him, often hiding his need to get closer to the hacker behind banter and goofy antics. It still made his heart flutter something crazy and his forehead sweat a little, but at least in these situations he could blame the energy he poured into such childish mischief on any physical reaction he had if Hal ever happened to call him out on it.

The TV had settled on some old crime detective show, one with smoky offices and long brown coats. Everything looked brown, the classic wood-stained aesthetic of the 70s. Every so often, the screen would flicker with static. The signal was always a little shaky this far out, but if anything it just added to the low-budget retro styling of whatever was playing. Right now there was yet another car chase; the gruffly cool detective had been caught scoping out a crime den, forcing him to escape from the scene. Amateur shit, Snake thought to himself. Still, he found himself drawn into it as he carried on sipping the cold beer, shocking against his throat in comparison to the warmth now surrounding him.

“Y’know Snake, this kinda reminds me of what we’re planning.”

Snake chuckled, turning towards his sidekick, “Oh what? You want me to grow a moustache and drive an old Chevy around while we sabotage government property, huh? Should I buy a trench coat too?”

Hal laughed, looking over at Snake, “Hmm, I mean now you mention it I think a trench coat would suit you, and we _could_ get a Chevy… I think you should skip on the moustache though.”

“Hrngh, why no moustache?” Snake grumbled, feigning hurt.

“You’re not an old man yet,” Hal responded, mumbling “Even if you act like one…” under his breath for good measure.

“What was that?” Snake asked abruptly, knowing exactly what he’d heard. The younger man’s eyes widened as he almost squeaked.

“N-Nothing Snake!”

Snake got a sinister glint in his eye, that Hal knew meant he was planning something. Sure enough, the super-soldier jabbed him in the side repeatedly, laughing as the poking tickled the hacker into laughing as well.

“Fine, fine! I’m sorry I called you an old man!” Hal cried out between hysterics. Snake snorted, icy eyes glistening with mirth, before sitting back up and watching the TV screen like nothing had happened. He was amazed how good he was at playing it cool, especially considering that less than an hour ago he was having a full-on crisis around his blooming feelings for the man sitting dangerously close to him. His thoughts briefly chastised him for getting all handsy with him, but he couldn’t lie to himself as if he wasn’t about to cherish the sensation of Hal’s warmth radiating against his finger, from underneath one of his own sweaters. He’d almost ended up just straight-up tickling the man, but common sense had kicked in just enough to let him know that would send him down a rabbit hole too risky to go through with.

“I’m just a little offended you’d think I’d be that bad at my job as to get caught scoping a place out,” Snake commented, although there was no malice in his words. Hal laughed a little nervously, pink gathering where his cheeks scrunched upwards.

“Like I’d ever actually think that, Snake. You’re a badass!”

“Hrgh come on, you don’t need to start saying all that shit now…”

“You _are_.” Hal’s voice was sincere. “You saved my life, remember?”

“Hal, I was joking. You didn’t actually offend me.”

“I-I know…” Hal looked down at his lap, staring at the plaid pattern of the blankets, “I just, I dunno…”

Snake looked Hal dead in the eyes now, keeping his body as still as possible as he curiously scanned the hacker’s face. This wasn’t good. His mind was teetering over the edge, about to go into overdrive with possibilities, all of which ended with _he’s not in love with you, you idiot_. Wishful thinking wasn’t high on Snake’s priority list, but here it was knocking ominously on the door like an unwanted visitor. To be fair the wishful thinking did have quite a bit of ammunition lately, but he wasn’t about to risk the whole operation for the sake of some signals he wasn’t even sure he was interpreting correctly. However, with the fireworks erupting inside of him in response to the hacker blushing furiously in front of him, with grey eyes wide beneath lenses painted with his own barely-held stoicism, he realised that the hopeful side of his mind that had atrophied over years of bullshit was beginning to grow again. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this development, so he smiled softly at Hal and turned back to the TV.

They sat in silence for what seemed like ages, both too anxious to tear their gazes away from the TV. Hal’s mind was close to exploding, much like Snake’s. That was the second time they’d made eye contact like that tonight, even more intense than the first time. Whatever Hal was about to say had been lost in Snake’s eyes, and it took him a few moments to recollect the fragmented sentiment from amongst what seemed to be a barrage of insanity. He gripped hard onto his ankle, legs crossed beneath the thick blankets, as he stewed over how to finish what he’d started without making it too obvious that he was falling even deeper for his partner.

Eventually, words found him again.

“You give yourself way less credit than what you’re due, Snake.”

He never turned to face the soldier, but he felt his words make an impact without even seeing it. A pang of anxiety hit him, wondering if he was being too sappy for the other man. After all, he’d made it clear several times that emotional stuff wasn’t on his radar. He was about to make some excuse to head back for bed, when Snake finally responded and broke the painful silence hanging between them.

“I’m not the good guy everyone seems to think I am,” he said firmly, but quietly, “You shouldn’t put me on a pedestal.”

It was Snake’s turn to clench his fists under the blankets. He felt the need to correct Hal, to let him know that he was bad news. It was the whole reason why he couldn’t let his hopeful side wake up from its slumber and make itself known. He didn’t want to end up hurting the man he cared about more than he’d cared for any other human since before…

He was a changed man after Outer Heaven, one whose purpose was to hurt and kill. Even with the uncontrollable urge to protect this man that he’d felt ever since their first meeting in that frigid basement laboratory, he couldn’t help but fear hurting him. He just wanted Hal to be happy and most of all _safe_ , and if that meant not acting these feelings so that they could fight Metal Gears together without it getting messy then so be it. Even if it was beginning to hurt. He’d rather himself be the one hurting.

“I’m not. You’re the most capable man I know. I wouldn’t have asked you to join me if I didn’t believe you could do it.”

Against his usual hatred of compliments, Snake couldn’t help but smile. He hoped his partner wasn’t looking at him right now.

“It’s a fact. You might think you’re a heartless monster or something, but you have a heart and you have principles,” Hal continued, “Why else would you be helping me?”

Because I want to be close to you, Snake thought. Not the only reason of course, but a rather big one. He’d have to settle for another one out loud.

“Because I’ve dealt with enough of these things to know they’re bad news.”

“Exactly,” Hal stated, sounding a touch proud of himself for proving Snake wrong, “You should hold onto your principles. Maybe then you’ll see what I- uh, _everyone_ sees in you.”

A cynical grumble, “You’re sounding like my fan club right now.”

“Maybe so, but you’re an integral part of this organisation. I won’t have you putting yourself down so much.”

“Hmm, you won’t huh?”

“Self-loathing’s bad for productivity,” Hal stated nonchalantly, pushing his glasses up.

“Looks like we’re both screwed then.”

Hal had to concede to that, laughing in response.

“At least I’m trying to get better at not hating myself,” he added once the laughter subsided a little, “You should try it.”

“Teach me then.” Snake was looking at Hal again, finally, unable to resist seeing him laugh. He couldn’t help but sound a little flirty in the moment. Maybe, just maybe, he thought Hal had sounded like he was flirting too. He tried not to read too much into it.

“I will… in the morning,” Hal responded, sounding a little breathless, “I’m too tired right now.”

“I’ll hold you to it. Want me to see what else is on? The detective show’s finished.”

“Mm-hmm,” Hal replied, taking a large gulp of his beer before setting it back down on the table. Snake followed suit, finishing the bottle before flicking through channels. Eventually, he found one of those awful old comedies they often ended up watching together. They sat for a while, banter gradually slowing down as relaxation gave way to sleepiness.

“Oh God, this show is painful,” Hal groaned lazily, cringing at an excruciatingly awkward joke, “Why do we always end up watching it?”

David laughed groggily, “Because we’re always awake at ungodly hours when any sane person would be in bed.”

“We’re not entirely sane though,” Hal muttered, eyes beginning to close.

Beers sat forgotten on the coffee table as the pair fell asleep to the sounds of static and infomercials, filling the room which now lay still until well after daylight broke. Snake woke up first, squinting as daylight streaming in through the window. It was warm, way too warm for Alaska in December, a heavy weight sat on top of him. He lifted his head slightly to see one of the huskies–Chopper, it looked like–lying fast asleep on top of him. That didn’t explain all of the warmth though; he soon realised that he and Hal had ended up huddled together, Snake’s head resting on his chest. It rose and fell gently with each breath, rhythm gentle in the depths of sleep. Snake felt his face get hot as he registered just what he was doing. He almost jolted upright, until it hit him that Hal was nowhere resembling awake. Thankfully. He lay there for a moment, planning his next move before coming to a realisation. Getting up would wake Hal up, and then he wouldn’t be able to get so close to him again.

Maybe if he just stayed here for a bit, pretending to still be asleep, he could let himself treasure this feeling while he had the chance.


	3. Just let me adore you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, something resembling an actual plot! Co-starring Nastasha via Codec.
> 
> Contains Dave cooking pancakes, Hal trying to avoid the inevitable realisation that he's smitten, and plans for both Philanthropy and Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *hasn't even started my 2000 word neuroscience essay that's due in just over a week*  
> Also me: *has written 10000 words of Snotacon fanfic in like 5 days*
> 
> My priorities are in order, clearly.

It was two days before Christmas when Hal got the first breakthrough. A facility he’d been scoping out for the past couple of months, one he’d found suspiciously similar to Shadow Moses, had proven to be a cover-up for something sinister. He scrutinised the text on his screen carefully, the results of some very delicate email hacking. This email was meant for the eyes of some high-up Pentagon official only, but here Hal was reading it from the comfort of a wooden cabin in Alaska. The contents pretty much confirmed what he was dreading; they looked to be designing a new Metal Gear already. They’d only just destroyed the last one! Well, nearly a year ago by now but still…

“Snake! We’ve got one.”

A groan came from the kitchen, “Really, already?! Jesus Christ…”

Snake was busy cooking something, probably blueberry pancakes again. Hal had never known anybody who enjoyed blueberry pancakes as much as Snake did. Sure, they’re nice, but he ate them pretty much every day. He’d thought it odd at first that the soldier stockpiled big bags of flour, until he realised how many pancakes he ate. Before he had time to feel hungry at the prospect of lunch though, he heard Snake approach him from behind. Hal couldn’t help but notice the warmth radiating from the soldier as he leaned over Hal to look at the screen. He smelled a little bit musky even after coming back from his morning workout; although he’d showered–vague hints of Old Spice hit his nostrils–he must’ve worked up a slight sweat in the kitchen. Hal was thankful they had other issues to discuss, otherwise he might have involuntarily gotten lost in the scent.

“Hmm. And you’re sure this isn’t just another REX knock-off?”

“I wouldn’t be certain until we saw the thing,” Hal replied, pausing to push his glasses up, “But it sounds different from the REX derivatives we found last month.”

An affirmative grumble, dangerously close to Hal’s ear. He was thankful when Snake backed off, heading back for the kitchen. His heart was racing, and he was certain the frustration at the US military for continuing Metal Gear production wasn’t the only cause. Snake had been _right there_ , his breath ghosting against his neck until it tingled, skin burning hot and stomach twisting. He didn’t dare look down right now so instead he sighed, leaning back into his chair. The past couple of weeks had been almost torturous. He heard something clatter in the kitchen, followed by an annoyed grumble.

Snake sighed, picking up the spoon he’d dropped and throwing it into the sink. Grabbing a new spoon which hadn’t fallen on the floor, he continued pouring his irritation into stirring pancake batter. Not that he was all that shocked by what he’d just seen, mind. The government were typically stubborn bastards, rehashing the same bullshit policies even if they were completely dreadful. Case in point, the Metal Gear development program. It seemed that not even one of the things being hijacked by terrorists and almost causing World War III was enough to put a stop to it apparently. Hell, since some madman–Ocelot, probably–had leaked the blueprints for REX, America was no longer the only government maniacal enough to want a slice of the nuclear death machine pie. Back in September Hal had found evidence of a REX copy being built somewhere in New Mexico, as well as another being produced in Siberia. Snake knew that some point soon he’d be doing some digging on-site, however it seemed that production had been delayed temporarily by some government-typical bureaucracy. Awful nice of them to buy him some extra planning time.

While he was, naturally, rather annoyed by these new developments, he was still basking in a certain event that took place a couple of weeks previously. Despite all of his attempts to calm down this _thing_ he had for his partner, he couldn’t help but take advantage of sleep-induced sofa cuddles. He’d laid there for about an hour before the younger man beneath him had stirred, gasping as he realised Snake was lying on top of him. He pretended to still be asleep of course, only stirring a few minutes later as Hal began to squirm beneath him to get up. Leaning over Hal to get a closer look at this email had reminded him of the blissful heat radiating from the man below him, and he began to think that the whole pretending-to-be-asleep thing was a bad idea. After all, what he thought would make the craving for his sidekick subside had actually intensified it ten-fold. _What an idiot_. Especially right now when he’d ended up practically nuzzling against his shoulder to read an email. This was exactly why he shouldn’t be indulging these thoughts; he was more bothered by making physical contact with Hal than by the fact that the US military were, once again, being _morons_.

The sound of frying batter was almost soothing, like white noise cancelling out his scrambled thoughts. The smell was delicious too. On autopilot now, he placed some homemade caribou bacon onto the second frying pan, knowing the exact timings by instinct after cooking this meal so many times. One pancake soon turned into a pile resting on the counter, bacon almost done. He suddenly remembered that he forgot to buy syrup after the last bottle ran out last week, but he supposed that his pancakes didn’t need it. Not to toot his own horn too much, but making pancakes was one of the very few things that weren’t murder that he knew he was good at.

“I’m about to serve up, do you want some?” he called out, shouting over the sound of sizzling. He smiled at the affirmative hum he heard from the living room, reaching into the cupboard to grab two plates. Hal walked through, eyes widening at the sight of food as he suddenly remembered he hadn’t eaten for at least 18 hours. No wonder he was so skinny. He wondered if he would’ve starved to death by now if he didn’t have a personal chef with him making sure he actually remembered to eat. He sat down expectantly at the small wooden table, barely big enough to seat two diners, grimacing slightly at the squeak of his chair’s wobbly old legs as he bared down.

“Lunch is served,” Snake announced semi-theatrically, plate in hand, “Or I suppose it’s breakfast for you.”

Hal laughed, thanking Snake for the food as he set a plate of pancakes and bacon down in front of him. He’d been pleasantly surprised when he found out that Snake was actually quite a good cook, although he supposed it was a necessity when you lived in the Alaskan wilderness. It was unlikely for there to be many takeout places that delivered here, especially when the nearest town was both ten miles out and incredibly small. Unless Dominos started running a snowmobile delivery service, that is.

More surprising though was how utterly _amazing_ Snake’s caribou bacon was. Hal had been nervous to try it at first, after all the creature it came from was the same adorable animal he’d seen so many times on his trips to and from town. Any potential disgust was abruptly halted when he’d taken a mouthful of the stuff. It was so much better than the cheap strips he used to buy sometimes back in Boston. The smell made his stomach rumble almost painfully

Evidently, the smell of delicious home-cooked meat wasn’t only enticing to Hal. Three huskies trotted into the kitchen, tongues dangling as they clocked the smell of bacon. Hal laughed. He was going to miss these guys when they inevitably moved back to the mainland to work on their organisation in earnest. By the looks of that email, he expected it would be soon. Snake must’ve realised it was coming too, as a whole hoard of huskies had gradually been given away to other mushers over the past few months. All that was left now were the three favourites–Chopper, Bruce, and Lutz–as well as the semi-feral gang of wolfdogs that Snake kept in the vast grounds surrounding the cabin.

Snake laughed when he turned around, seeing drooling dogs eyeing up his bacon. Thankfully, he always remembered to cook extra just for them. Hal’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the usually tough Snake now softened, kneeling down with a plate of bacon especially for his dogs.

“Here you go, you little fuckers,” he cooed, his gravelly voice uncharacteristically soft and high-pitched. Hal snickered in response. The juxtaposition between his motherly demeanour and profane language around the dogs never got old. That was something else to add to the list of things he’d miss once they left Alaska behind.

“By the way, I just emailed Nastasha, asked if she can codec us later,” Hal announced. Snake nodded, cutting into a pancake.

“Yeah, we should probably start putting the wheels in motion on this whole thing.”

“I suppose this means we’re moving soon then,” Hal sighed, “It’s weird, but I’m gonna miss this place.”

“You’re not the only one…” Snake mused.

A content yet thoughtful silence fell upon the kitchen as the men ate. Hal was enjoying his meal, and by the looks of it so was Snake. Occasionally he’d hear the soldier hum, as if to say what he was eating was delicious. It was adorably endearing, Hal thought. He hoped that Snake couldn’t read minds as he did; he wasn’t sure he would appreciate being called adorable.

“You’re thinking again,” Snake pointed out, drawing Hal from his thoughts.

“W-Well yeah… we have a lot to think about.”

“We need to finish eating first. Can’t plan on an empty stomach.”

“I guess not. I was thinking something else though.”

Another hum, this time curious. Hal looked up, an inquisitive face greeting him from across the table.

“I wonder what our new home will be like,” Hal mused, “A-Assuming we’d be living together of course.”

Snake chuckled slightly then.

“Well, living together would help out a lot with the rental costs. Besides, you wouldn’t want to miss out on my cooking would you?”

Hal blushed. For someone who was closed off and cagey as all hell at times, Snake wasn’t half charming. He had to remind himself that Snake was just a charmer, so what seemed like flirtation shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Still, it was nice to hear how his gravelly voice drawled slightly in these moments, words sliding from his tongue like butter from a stick of corn.

“I knew it! So that’s why you kept me here,” Hal teased, “You just wanted a test subject to try out your latest dishes so you can open up your own restaurant one day.”

“And what if I did?” Snake’s voice sounded eerily close to flirtatious now. The rational part of his brain was screaming out at him to stop of course, but he just couldn’t help it sometimes. It was too easy for banter to tip over the scale ever so slightly into flirtation. He knew he had limits of course; Hal wasn’t stupid. However, if there was a way to find compromise between the part of his mind that commanded professionalism and discipline, and the part that sounded like a lovestruck teenager, he was willing to take it. As far as he could keep a lid on it then, he didn’t mind a bit of flirting with the hacker.

Hal’s gaze was glued to his plate now, ducking down to avoid showing off his flushed cheeks. His mind was racing with announcements that Snake was once again flirting with him, but he reminded his internal monologue that it was misinterpreting the situation. Snake just flirted with everyone. Besides, why would a total _hunk_ be into a weedy nerd like himself? He laughed off the thoughts as best he could, falling into his usual routine of returning Snake’s flirty banter to distract him from the longing.

“It’s a good job I enjoy your cooking then, isn’t it?”

“Sure is, Mr. Taste Tester,” Snake chuckled, “Maybe we could do that when we retire from fighting Metal Gears. Name it ‘Dave and Hal’s Kickass Pancake House‘ or something.”

“Umm, no. ‘Hal and Dave’s Kickass Pancake House’ sounds better.”

Snake almost choked on his pancake, laughing harder than anyone would ever expect from the usually-aloof warrior. His unrestrained, howling laughter bared his soul, free from his typical hyper-controlled demeanour. Hal couldn’t help but join him, his own soul warm and fuzzy at the sound. He wished he got to hear it more often, wished he knew how to make him laugh this much all the time.

Their laughter subsided after a few moments, trickling out into breathy giggles. Snake looked usually peaceful, Hal recognised, hard lines of his face softened as he temporarily shed the frown that called his face home.

“Founder’s name goes first, you know that’s the rules,” Snake stated, smirk stretching across the left side of his face.

Hal hummed, matching the other man’s smugness, “If that’s the case then my name goes first.”

Another laugh, “We _do_ need to come up with an actual name for this thing we’re doing…”

Hal nodded, returning back to his meal. Another reminder that things were advancing fast in their scheme to bring down Metal Gear. He pushed a piece of bacon around his plate, setting himself a mental reminder to start drafting some names. Maybe something from an anime? Or just go down the route of most start-ups and pick out a random adjective? Just another task to add to his list. Turns out founding an NGO was a lot more work than he’d anticipated…

A low, thoughtful hum drew him out of his impromptu mental planning session. He looked up again; Snake looked like he was pondering something, inquisitive eyes staring straight at him. He felt a shiver somewhere deep in his core, the same one he felt whenever those icy eyes seemed to be studying him so intensely.

“Hal?”

“Yeah, Snake?”

“Why do you still call me Snake?” he asked, resting his hand on his jawline, “It’s okay to use my real name when we’re not on a mission, y’know. Not that there’s anything wrong with you calling me Snake of course...”

Hal’s heart thumped in his chest then. It sounded almost like Snake was giving him _permission_ to use his real name, something that felt strangely intimate to the hacker. To be fair, he knew he probably had permission to call him by his real name around the time they’d left Shadow Moses, when they’d discovered that they happened to share their names with an iconic movie duo. It was almost like he was afraid to just start calling him _Dave_ though, that and he was so used to calling him by his codename.

“Uh, force of habit I guess.”

An amused sigh, “Understandable. You’re allowed to call me Dave if you want though.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” Hal replied, “Dave.”

Hal snapped his head back down to look at the remains of his lunch, brain screeching to a halt as Snake- _Dave_ smiled again, eyes lighting up. Between actually calling him by his name and the split-second response painted across his face–so desperately bare and honest–Hal knew he was in trouble.

He really didn’t want to acknowledge that word, teetering close to the edge of his consciousness. He _couldn’t_.

A busy afternoon of planning followed their lunch, until both men were interrupted by the beeping of their Codecs. Nastasha’s frequency greeted them both, a silky smoke-tinged voice on the other end of the line.

“Hello gentlemen. It’s been a while since we actually spoke.”

“Nearly a year,” Snake offered. The events of February still haunted him as if they happened yesterday, yet at the same time it seemed like centuries ago. Perhaps he had Hal to thank for that. His feelings for the man notwithstanding, he’d been a good friend through the past few months. He hadn’t had a friend like him since Frank… he felt a pang in his chest at the reminder of his fallen comrade.

“I only just managed to access the documents you sent over. Your encryption’s a real bastard, Hal.”

A modest giggle in response.

“Well… you can never be too careful.”

“You’re right. Once the Pentagon finds out what we’re doing they’ll come sniffing. Best to get into the habit early on.”

Snake listened quietly as Nastasha and Hal began to discuss business, piping up occasionally to raise points about the practicalities of sneaking into top-secret research bases. That was his area of expertise, not all the technological stuff. Besides, it was nice to let Hal take charge. It kept him from getting too social. It was odd; for how weedy and delicate the hacker had seemed at first, he was actually a lot better with people than Snake could ever be. Never mind _David_ , who hid behind the Snake persona desperately trying not to interact with any human ever. Nobody would believe that the man behind the so-called legend was actually a complete loner at heart, but it was the truth. There were very few people who could bring him out of his shell, but Hal seemed to do it so well.

“Any thoughts, Snake?” Nastasha asked, drawing him out of his thoughtful silence. He realised he’d not been paying attention for the past five minutes.

“Ah…” he hesitated, trying to sound like he’d been listening, “I guess we should start work in the new year. I’ll look into apartments.”

“Yeah, we should,” Hal chimed in, “There’s no use delaying the move anymore, not when we have this much information already. We can finalise our plans once we’re there.”

“New Mexico?” Snake asked. Hal nodded.

“You’re braver than me,” Nastasha commented, “You wouldn’t catch me in that desert hellhole if you _paid_ me.”

“Ugh, tell me about it,” Hal groaned, “I hope my electronics can stand the heat out there.”

Snake snickered.

“Oh, by the way,” Hal interjected, “I forgot to tell you, Mei Ling’s on board. She emailed the other day.”

“That’s helpful. I’ve heard a lot of good things about her. She was involved with Shadow Moses too, right?”

“Yeah,” Snake replied, “She was the data analyst. She designed my radar too, really saved my ass out there.”

“It’s good that we’ve got her on our side,” Hal added, “I think we’re making quite a team here.”

Snake smiled softly, “Can’t wait to do business with you all.”

The call came to an end not long after that, both Nastasha and Snake itching for a smoke. They’d been talking for nearly two hours, not the longest Codec conversation in the world but certainly nothing to sneeze at. Hal had laughed when his colleagues pronounced their need for nicotine almost in unison. That was Snake all over; when he needs a smoke, _he needs a smoke_. The smell of smoke had overpowered him when he’d first set foot into the cabin, clinging to the wood plank walls like a layer of varnish. Hal must’ve made it obvious that he wasn’t much for the smell, as he’d noticed that over time that Snake had gradually taken his smoke breaks out to the porch. He felt a little guilty about forcing the soldier to smoke out in the cold, but Snake had assured him that he’d made the decision himself. After all, it would be easier to sell this place if it didn’t stink like a pub in the 1980s.

He’d noticed how whenever he’d been busy for too long, Snake’s fingers would begin to twitch and he’d start bouncing his leg. He was doing this for the last few minutes of the Codec call, hands fiddling with a box of Lucky Strikes. Sure enough, once the connection was cut he was straight up from the sofa, grabbing the lighter he kept on the small table by the front door. Hal sat for a moment, contemplating the events of the past couple of hours, before getting up to join Snake.

Even with a coat on, it was positively _frigid_ out there on the porch. Snake didn’t seem too bothered, but then again Hal supposed he had rather thick skin like his brother. He couldn’t imagine how anyone in their right mind would go shirtless in Alaska. Even Snake didn’t and he was a total badass. Still, even super soldiers feel cold sometimes. Snake’s breath was visible even when it wasn’t full of smoke, the hand not warmed by his cigarette turning white as he’d forgotten to grab his gloves. He shoved it into his coat pocket as the freezing sensation finally registered, turning his head to look at Hal.

“I’m thinking we move in February,” he stated between drags, “Gives us time to sort out everything up here and plan our infiltration out more.”

Hal hummed affirmatively, “What will you do about this place? Will you sell it?”

“Nah,” Snake sighed, “I thought about it, but there's not much of a real estate market in these parts. Besides, it might come in handy if we ever need to come back to Alaska.”

“Don’t they know you live here though? This is where they picked you up to do Shadow Moses, right?”

Snake grumbled, then took a long drag on his cigarette. The smell finally hit Hal as he exhaled an insane amount of smoke. Strangely he was beginning to warm to it. Not that he’d take up smoking himself of course, but it was a scent which distinctly reminded him of his partner. It almost felt like home now, something he hadn’t been able to say about anything since he was a kid.

“Say, Snake,” Hal began. Snake looked at him again, facial expression unreadable. Hal lost his train of thought for a moment, trying to figure out the poker-faced man in front of him.

“We’re not in a Codec call anymore, Hal,” was all Snake said in response.

“A-Ah, sorry Dave,” Hal stuttered, “I’m too used to calling you Snake.”

An amused hum, tinged with something else unreadable, “I don’t mind you calling me Dave, you know.”

Hal just hummed again.

“I’d like you to call me Dave,” Snake added, so quietly Hal could barely hear it. Hal flushed, his face burning up. Snake’s real name felt so intimate to him, so much so that he didn’t even say it in his mind. He sometimes worried about being too forward with Snake, even if they were practically best friends at this point. The soldier was very closed off, not one to show his feelings often or with any sort of intensity. But here Snake was now, looking like he was actually letting himself be _vulnerable_ around Hal. He’d done that a couple of times recently, intense moments of mutual eye contact which left both men breathless. Moments like this threatened to let an irreversible revelation emerge, one which Hal’s subconscious knew it couldn’t let out without completely changing his entire existence.

For now though, Hal just had to take a deep breath and calm down. Talk to his friend like a normal friend would. He’s only feeling all fluttery inside because Snake’s nice to him. The typical internal barrage, fed to him by his conscious mind. His deepest feelings, while they drove the sensations coursing throughout his body whenever Snake got close to him or looked into his eyes or–God forbid– _smile_ , were still a mystery to Hal’s conscious mind. At most, a childish crush on the man who rescued him from that hellhole.

“Uh… I forgot what I was gonna ask you,” Hal mumbled.

“Idiot,” Snake chuckled, a teasing smile curling around his cigarette.

Hal snorted in response, “You’re not one to talk.”

“Hrmm, and what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me, Mr. I-Forgot-To-Put-Gloves-On-In-Minus-Twenty-Degrees.”

Another grumble, “What can I say, I needed a smoke.”

“Typical,” Hal laughed.

“You’re learning,” Snake quipped, “Anyway, we need to start sorting stuff out. Unless you want to get Christmas out of the way first? Uh, if you celebrate it, that is.”

“It’s fine,” Hal replied, “I grew up in a mixed household. We did Christmas _and_ Hannukah. Haven’t really celebrated any holidays for years though. Guess I’ve been too busy.”

Snake hummed thoughtfully, stubbing out the remains of his now-finished cigarette. When Hal looked at him, he saw the face not of a man hardened by years of war and trauma, but one of a man he knew was _David_. Harsh lines softened, icy blue eyes gentle as they looked back at him.

“How about we do this Christmas thing then?” he asked, “I haven’t done any holidays for a long time either, so it’ll be nice to have some fun before we have to leave this place.”

“But we don’t have any decorations? Or gifts?”

“Don’t need ‘em,” David interjected, “All we need is shitty Christmas TV, sweaters, and some meat. I’ll go out and hunt something tomorrow, then head out and see if we can find something resembling vegetables in town.”

Hal smiled, meeting his friend’s gaze once more, “Sounds like a plan, _Dave_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still shook by the kudoses and the lovely comments I've been getting. Y'all are amazing <3
> 
> Christmassy fluff coming in the next chapter! Just some dudes just being bros while flirty bantering over Christmas films, nbd. (no i don't care if it's march, christmas fluff goddamnit)


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